Presidential election tribunal: Protesters ask Bulkachuwa to recuse self

Secretariat workers at the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have
called on the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab
Bulkachuwa to recuse herself from Presidential Election Petitions
Tribunal.

The workers, who staged a protest at the party’s Abuja national
secretariat on Monday, called on Bulkachuwa to withdraw from the
tribunal on moral grounds.

According to them, with her husband as senator-elect on the
platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bulkachuwa cannot
maintain neutrality as head of the tribunal.

The workers’ call is coming against the backdrop of the ongoing
election petition filed by the presidential candidate of the PDP,
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar challenging the re-election of President
Muhammadu Buhari of the APC in the February 23 presidential
election.

Some of the placards displayed by the workers read, “Justice
Zainab Bulkachuwa: You cannot preside over your own case, your
husband is a senator-elect under the APC; “Justice is not for the
most powerful, it must be seen to be right and done; and “On moral
grounds, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa recuse yourself from the
presidential tribunal”.

The workers maintained that the inclusion of Bulkachuwa in the
panel of jurists has eroded their confidence in the tribunal.

The chairman of the PDP Staff Welfare Association, Mr. Innocent
Nwankwo who led the workers’ protest, insisted that Atiku Awon the
February 23 presidential election but that he was robbed of victory
by the ruling party.

Nwankwo also accused the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) of bias in the conduct of the election, adding
that Atiku cannot reclaim his mandate as long as Justice Bulkachuwa
remained a member of the tribunal.

They vowed never to allow some individuals in the country to
hijack the collective will of majority of Nigerians, adding that
Nigerians are tired of the “misrule” of the APC and its
presidential candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari.

Nwankwo said, “We are tired of the state of insecurity in the
country; we are tired of the poor state of our economy; we are
tired of this nepotic government; we are tired of the situation
where majority of our citizens are living in lDP camps as if we are
in a state of war. Nigerians are tired”.

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